Large blue key with white arrows representing the section for faculty and staff to access the Terrier eDevelopment LMS Green Report Button written with black text. The button Managers, Supervisors, and Leadership should click to generate completion reports
Orange large button in the shape of a key for Students: Students should click here for information on accessing the student training Large purple button with black text in the shape of a key. Users should click this button to access additional resources

University-wide Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training for Faculty and Staff

Background

Boston University is committed to ensuring that all members of our community are afforded a respectful environment in which to work and study, and where sexual misconduct of any form is not tolerated. To this end, in the fall of 2018, the Provost announced to the community (website communication, BU Today article) that Boston University would be moving to implement mandatory, online University-wide sexual misconduct prevention training for all students, faculty, and staff. The trainings have been one important part of the University’s efforts to heighten awareness of acceptable and unacceptable behavior as well as available campus resources for safety, education, and reporting. Other trainings exist throughout the university for various populations, including trainings and materials specific to Title IX adjudication participants as one example.

In fall 2021, the Provost’s Office, in conjunction with the Compliance Services Office (CSO), Student Health Services (students), Human Resources (staff), Information Security & Technology (IS&T) and the Organizational Development & Learning Office (OD&L) launched a re-training initiative for all students, faculty, and staff. In a September 7, 2021 memorandum to employees notifying them of re-training efforts, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Jean Morrison, and Gary Nicksa, Senior Vice President for Operations, noted that “As we return to campus after an extremely disruptive 18 months, these trainings are an important reminder for all of us of the rules, processes, and resources we have in place. They also provide updates on policy changes, including adjustments to our processes to comply with recent federal regulations, incorporated into BU policies in 2020.”

Frequency of the Employee Training

    • New Employees: All new employees (faculty and staff) are required to complete their assigned course(s) two weeks from their start date.
    • All existing employees: The University launched re-training efforts on September 8, 2021. All existing employees were required to complete their assigned module by October 8, 2021. Employees who joined the University after March 1, 2021, will not be required to redo the training at this time, since they recently completed it through the new employee training requirement.

Student Training and Retraining

New students are assigned the course(s) at the start of the fall and spring semesters and asked to complete by a specific date. All existing students were required to complete a re-training refresher module on sexual misconduct prevention, Title IX, and Clery concepts at the start of the fall 2021 semester. Note that the contents of this webpage are intended for employees only. Students should refer to the Student Health Services informational webpage on the Sexual Assault Prevention Course for information on the student trainings.

Online Course Logistics

    • Faculty and Staff: The trainings are delivered through BU’s Terrier eDevelopment Learning Management Platform (LMS).
      • 2018 Launch: courses were formally “assigned” to faculty and staff based on employment roles and responsibilities on September 6, and they were required to complete assigned courses by November 15, 2018.
      • 2021 Launch: Courses were formally “assigned” to faculty and staff on September 8, 2021, and they will have until October 8, 2021 to complete the assigned module.
    • Students: Student Health Services uses a platform called “Foundry” to deliver the trainings. Students should refer to the Student Health Services informational webpage on the Sexual Assault Prevention Course for information on the new student training facilitated each fall and spring, and all student re-training efforts launched in fall 2021.

Consequences for Non-Completion

    • Employees: Completion of the assigned module is required for employees to qualify for the next merit increase process.
    • Students: Students will be blocked from registering next semester until they complete their assigned online module.

Length of Assigned Courses

The Supervisor course (Vector Solutions Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Supervisors with Title IX/Clery Module) will take ~ 190 minutes (~ 3 hours, ten minutes) to complete. The Non-Supervisor course (Vector Solutions Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Non-Supervisors with Title IX/Clery Module) will take ~130 (~ 2 hours, ten minutes) to complete.

Given the length of the course and the range of topics covered, its recommended that you complete the course bit by bit instead of all in one sitting. Once you begin a module, you can start and stop your training and your progress is saved, except in the middle of a video. Please note that the percentage of completion only records 3 times, beginning (0%), halfway through (50%) and completed (100%). If you log out and back in to the course, the time you have spent on the course should be accurate, but the % will most-likely not be. If you reload the page and would like to resuming where the you left off (if it did not do this automatically), within the course itself there is a horizontal menu across the top right-hand side of the browser window. Click the “MENU” option to see the sections of the course. You can move within sections already completed.

Questions:

    • For questions about the requirement or the content, please email comply@bu.edu.
    • For questions on accessing the training, contact the IT Help Center by emailing ithelp@bu.edu or calling 617-353-HELP (4357).
    • If you have any questions or concerns about completing the training due to its content, or you previously received a waiver from participating in sexual misconduct prevention education, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office’s University Title IX Coordinator at titleix@bu.edu or 617-353-0911.

    Frequently Asked Questions  (FAQs) about the University-wide Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training

    QUESTIONS ON THE SEPTEMBER 2021 RETRAINING

    • Q – Didn’t I complete a training course before?
      All employees were required to complete a similar training(s) in September of 2018, a requirement which carried over to new employees hired since that time. The new September 2021 assignment is a re-training of the entire community on updated content, including our new Sexual Misconduct Policy effective in August 2020. All faculty, staff, and students are required to complete a re-training as part of this initiative. More information on efforts to re-train the community can be found on the compliance Services website. This re-training initiative was announced through a September 7th, 2021 Memorandum to employees from Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer and Gary Nicksa, Senior Vice President for Operations.
    • Q – Does the training(s) I took in September of 2018 (or upon hire after September 2018) no longer count?
      The previous training “counted” for that round of training, In 2021, the expectation is this re-training be completed in addition to the previous training to re-educate the community on updated content and new concepts and information that are important towards sexual misconduct prevention as well as maintaining an inclusive environment for employees to work.  In addition to re-educating the community, BU is also subject to both federal and state laws which require ongoing education and training on these issues.
    • Q – How was the community notified of this new September 2021 re-training initiative?
      The re-training initiative was announced through a September 7th, 2021 Memorandum sent via email to all impacted employees from Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer and Gary Nicksa, Senior Vice President for Operations. Subsequent notification about the training was sent starting on September 8th, 2021 via an email sent via the Learning Management system Terrier eDevelopment from Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer and Amanda Bailey, Vice President for Human Resources.
      Going forward, new employees receive an email notice from the Learning Management System, and their supervisor is copied on that communication.
    • Q – I have questions about the requirement or the content. Who should I contact?
      Please contact the Compliance Services Office at comply@bu.edu.
    • Q – I have concerns about completing the training due to the nature of its content. Who should I contact?
      Please contact the Equal Opportunity Office’s University Title IX Coordinator at titleix@bu.edu. More information on Sexual Misconduct and Title IX at Boston University can be found on the Equal Opportunity Office website, which includes information on reporting incidents, resources, and other information.

    COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

    • Q – Which course do I have to take?
      Courses are assigned to employee populations based on their status as a faculty or staff member, with additional consideration given to those employees who supervise others. Students are assigned to a student-specific course for undergraduate and graduate populations.
      For the  September 8, 2021 launch, all Supervisors were assigned the “Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Supervisors with Title IX/Clery Module.” All non-supervisors were assigned the “Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Non-Supervisors with Title IX/Clery Module.” Supervisor status for purposes of assignment is determined by SAP classifications. If you believe you should have received supervisor training but were only assigned non-supervisor training please contact your dept. administrator or manager to make sure you are properly designed as a supervisor in SAP.

        Fall 2021 Training Assignments for All Existing Employees and New Employees As of the September 8 Launch Date
        Course Required Populations
        Vector Solutions Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Non-Supervisors with Title IX/Clery Module

        • ~130 (~ 2 hours, ten minutes)

         
        • Staff Non-Supervisors
        • Faculty Non-Supervisors
        Vector Solutions Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Supervisors with Title IX/Clery Module

        • (~ 3 hours, ten minutes)
        • Supervisory Staff
        • Supervisory Faculty

       

      • Q – How long will the course take to complete?
      • Q – I am a new employee. Do I have to complete the training, how will I receive notice, and how long do I have to complete the module?
        All new employees (faculty and staff) receive an email within a few days of their start date, notifying them that they have two weeks to complete the training. The email comes from the Learning Management System, with an email from Provost Morrison and Vice President for Human Resources Amanda Bailey. If the new employee fails to complete the module, they will receive several overdue notices until they complete the assignment.
      • Q – As an employee non-supervisor, can I take the Supervisor Harassment & Discrimination Course even though I’m not a supervisor/manager?
        Yes, you CAN take the Supervisor course. Note that the Supervisor course contains all of the same information as the non-supervisor course, plus some additional information for campus supervisors and leaders. Therefore, if you take the supervisor course, you will show up as having completed both the Supervisor and the Non-Supervisor course.
      • Q – As an employee Supervisor, can I take the Non-Supervisor Harassment & Discrimination Course even though I’m not a supervisor/manager?
        Yes, as a Supervisor, you may also take the Non-supervisor course. However, note that the Non-Supervisor course is identical to the content in the Supervisor course – but the Supervisor course contains additional elements and details. Note that as a Supervisor assigned to the Supervisor course,  if you first take and complete the Non-Supervisor course, you will not have fulfilled your assigned course, and you will still have to go through the entire Supervisor course assigned to you in order to fulfill your training requirement.
      • Q – What if I need a disability accommodation to complete this training?
        The course content and platform were built by the vendor with  accessibility technology as a key consideration. The courses and course platform are considered WCAG 2.0 accessible, and when the course is launched, you will see accessibility features available throughout. If the technology accessibility features are not enough for your particular needs, you should contact the Equal Opportunity Office (www.bu.edu/eoo), specifically Mary Ann Phillips, Assistant Director of Compliance in the Equal Opportunity Office, at accomm@bu.edu or 617-353-6474.
      • Q- Is the course available in other languages?
        At this time, the courses are not available in any other language except English.
      • Q – I am a faculty member currently on sabbatical. Am I still required to take the training?
        Yes, faculty on sabbatical are still expected to complete the training.
      • Q – I am an employee on medical or FMLA leave. Do I need to complete the training?
        You should complete the training when you return from your leave.
      • Q – Can my manager make me take the Supervisor Harassment & Discrimination course even though I am not a manager or supervisor?
        Your manager, at their discretion, may require you to take the Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Supervisors with Title IX/Clery Course due to your job responsibilities even if you do not manage direct reports.
      • Q – What is Vector Solutions?
        Vector Solutions is an education vendor (formerly EverFi) who supplies the course content and platforms that BU uses to deliver education to students and employees on important topics. Vector Solutions has a catalog of available higher education employee courses found on their website. Student course information is also available on Vector Solutions website. For more information on using an Vector Solutions course(s) in your school, college, or unit, please contact either the Compliance Services Office at comply@bu.edu and/or the Organizational Development & Learning (OD&L) Office at ODL@bu.edu.[
      • Q – What is EverFi?
        EverFi was our training vendor that was purchased by Vector Solutions. On certain materials, you may see reference to EverFi, but Vector Solutions is the official vendor providing BU with training content and platforms for the employee and student populations.
      • Q – I have dual status as both an employee and a student. Which course will I have to take?
        Populations who are both employees and students have to take multiple courses assigned to them based on their student and employee status/roles. The courses are tailored to each population, and the student course is different than the employee course.
      • Q – Can I stop the course in the middle and begin where I left off? (Do I have to take the entire course in one sitting?)
        Once you begin a module, you can start and stop your training and your progress is saved, except in the middle of a video. Please note that the percentage of completion only records 3 times, beginning (0%), halfway through (50%) and completed (100%). If you log out and back in to the course, the time you have spent on the course should be accurate, but the % will most-likely not be. If you reload the page and would like to resuming where the you left off (if it did not do this automatically), within the course itself there is a horizontal menu across the top right-hand side of the browser window. Click the “MENU” option to see the sections of the course. You can move within sections already completed.
      • Q – How long do the courses take to complete? Completion times depend upon the individual taking the course. However, we have compiled approximations for each course:
      • Q – I took the training, and have since been promoted to a supervisory role. Will I have to take the training over?
        Yes, if you have been promoted to a supervisory position, you will be required to complete the Supervisor Harassment and Discrimination Prevention training. This is required even if you previously completed a non-supervisor requirement. Upon launching the course, you may receive a message indicating that, “You already completed this course”. Please click Retake to continue through that message and onto the activity. Please submit a ticket to ithelp@bu.edu if you have any questions.
        Q – I have already taken a similar training within the past year as part of my affiliation with a different organization/employer. Do I still have to take this training, or can I be exempted?
        Yes, you still have to take Boston University’s assigned training; No, you cannot be exempted based on your completion of a similar course for a different organization. Boston University’s employee trainings cover aspects of BU’s policies, procedures, processes, and resources that are specific to our institution. Therefore, another training from a different organization is not an appropriate substitute for the BU training. Additionally, the courses cover more issues than sexual misconduct and sexual misconduct prevention. They feature employment concepts, including discrimination and harassment prevention, creating an inclusive workplace, accessibility and accommodation issues, and also provide helpful examples for how to handle employment situations as an employee or as a supervisor. For all these reasons, a different organization’s course is not an appropriate substitute for the content and institution-specific information covered in the assigned BU course.
        • Q – I have concerns over the content within the training. Who should I contact?
          Please contact the Compliance Services Office at comply@bu.edu. The majority of the content within the training is created by the training vendor Vector Solutions. Any concerns or questions about the content and scenarios within the training are collected by the Compliance Services Office and passed along to the vendor for their consideration.
        • Q – I have concerns about completing the training due to the nature of its content. Who should I contact?
          Please contact the Equal Opportunity Office’s University Title IX Coordinator at titleix@bu.edu if you have concerns about completing the training due to its content or you previously received a waiver from participating in sexual misconduct prevention education. More information on Sexual Misconduct and Title IX at Boston University can be found on the Equal Opportunity Office website, which includes information on reporting incidents, resources, and other information.

        CHECKING ON COMPLETION STATUS

        • Q – How will I know when I have completed the course?
          You will receive an email from terrieredev@bu.edu confirming that you have completed the course as soon as you finish. Your supervisor will be cc’ed on that email.
          In addition to the email, when you log into the LMS, your homepage profile should also reflect that you have completed the course. Note that sometimes completion reports received by your Supervisor or accessed by your Supervisor through the Learning Management System will take an overnight update to reflect your status as completed, but your Supervisor is copied on the email that confirms you completed the training – so they should receive an email update in real time just like you.
        • Q – I am sure I completed the course, but I am still showing as not completed. What should I do?
          There have been a few instances where employees have completed the training but did not receive an email, and their completion status in the LMS still says that they have not completed the course. If  you think you are in this situation, please email ithelp@bu.edu or calling 617-353-HELP (4357). If you have completed the course, IS&T will be able to see that and adjust your completion status accordingly.
        • Q – How will my supervisor know I completed the training?
          They have access to a reporting feature through the LMS (available at this quick link) that allows them to run a report on who has completed the training. Completion takes about 12 hours to show up on a supervisors profile, so if it does not show up immediately, please allow for one business day.
        • Q – I am a manager/supervisor. How can I see completion information for the employees who report to me?
          The Learning Management System has a self-service feature, available through this quick link, that allows managers to look up completion reports for the employees that report to them. An instructional document has been created to show you how to run completion reports on your employees. The instructions are available here: How to Access Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training Status Report.

        TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

        • Q- I am having issues with getting the course to launch. What should I do?
          The courses are configured to be accessible and “Mobile First” meaning you can complete them from any device (e.g., desktop, laptop, phone, tablet). Once you begin a module, you can start and stop your training, and the program will save your progress unless you are in the middle of a video. We recommend that you spread the course over several sessions to help you fully engage with the material.

        Here are some troubleshooting tips:

          • Recommended Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Firefox are recommended.  Internet Explorer is not supported.
          • Enable Cookies: Third party cookies need to be enabled to take the training (they likely are unless the trainee has changed this setting or has a plugin that blocks these).
          • Enable Pop-ups: Pop-ups will need to be allowed from the URL https://bostonuniversity.sumtotal.host/. The trainee should try to enable popups entirely, do the training, and then disable them again after. If you see a message about mixed content, you will want to allow this also. If the browser is attempting to display mixed content, it will provide you with this notice in the URL bar with a notification, and you can click this notification to allow this.
        • Q – I am taking the course, but am having trouble advancing the training to the next slide or section (i.e. moving on to the next page). What should I do?
          If you are unable to move on/advance the training slide to the next page in the course (i.e. the Next page button is greyed out and not clickable), that means there is some content on the current page you haven’t yet engaged with. You must engage with that unreviewed content before the course will allow you to advance to the next page. How do you engage with the content? It depends. This could mean any of the following:
          • clicking on the various graphics which contain definitions or examples behind them (the content flips and becomes visible when you click it);
          • you have to click on a Massachusetts or Federal statute and scroll to review its text;
          • you have to answer the quiz question correctly; or
          • you have to open and review the Policy, then click the Policy attestation.

        The actions you have to take to be able to advance the slide are distinct depending on the page of the course you are on. The pages are all different and require different action to advance because Vector Solutions course pages are purposefully distinct in order to promote better engagement with the course content by the user.

        • Q – I need technical help. Who should I contact?
          For technical help accessing the training, please contact the IS&T Service Desk by sending an email to ithelp@bu.edu or calling 617-353-HELP (4357).
          Information about the LMS generally can be found on a BU TechWeb page.

        STUDENT QUESTIONS

        Instructions to Access the University-Wide Sexual Misconduct Prevention Trainings in Terrier eDevelopment

        How to Access the Trainings

        Trainings are accessible through the Terrier eDevelopment Learning Management System. Instructions on how to access the Sexual Misconduct courses through the LMS are available in two formats:

          1. Basic Written Instructions (below on this webpage)
          2. Video Instructions (Video tutorial)

        1. Written Instructions on How to Access the Training Courses in the LMS

        Courses are accessible by logging into Terrier eDevelopment [URL: https://terrieredev.bu.edu/] using your Kerberos credentials. Employees can complete the courses over several sessions; individual progress is saved in the system.

        Step 1: Log into the Terrier eDevelopment LMS using your Kerberos credentials.

        Step 2: Employees will find the assigned training in the My Learning section of the homepage. See the red circle in the screen-shot below as a reference. Click on Assigned to access the training assignment.

          Screenshot of the BU Terrier E-Development dashboard. Multiple images of Rhett the BU Terrier Mascot in the library and then on a laptop doing his assignments. Page also highlights the "My Learning" section to see what tasks the user must complete

          2. Video Instructions

          Video also available on the BU MyMedia website.